1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and a device for visualizing geographic data using at least two-dimensional objects, at least one surface of the objects being covered with at least one texture.
2. Description of Related Art
Published European patent document EP 1 508 780 describes a navigation device for guiding a vehicle in which objects bordering the travel route are prominently displayed on a display device compared to the rest of the objects in the vehicle surroundings. In this way, objects in the immediate proximity of the travel route, which are important for the driver's navigation, may be displayed prominently in order to facilitate the driver's orientation. The prominence may be achieved by changing colors and/or contrasts.
It is customary that the objects bordering the travel route are displayed three-dimensionally, the travel route being viewed from a bird's eye perspective. The display of the objects is standardized, i.e., the objects are always displayed alike irrespective of external factors, e.g., the time of year, the weather, or the visibility conditions. The disadvantage here is that the surroundings displayed on the navigation device may differ considerably from the real surroundings, which makes the driver's orientation difficult. For example, the real surroundings are white in the winter and the trees are without leaves, while the display of the navigation device shows sunshine and trees having green leaves. Such serious differences may result in a considerable orientation loss for the driver.